Coming 2 America is coming back to Queens on March 5

Eddie Murphy is now king of Zamunda in Coming 2 America. Photo via Amazon Studios

By David Brand

Prince Akeem is heading back to Queens, 33 years after his first trip.

Coming 2 America, the sequel to Eddie Murphy’s iconic 1988 original, will make its world premiere at the Queens Drive-In on Friday, March 5.

But most fans will have to wait for the nationwide release. As Queens Post reported Friday, the free screening at Flushing Meadows Corona Park booked up fast.

The original Coming to America features Murphy as Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of Zamunda, on a quest for love. The future king’s search for a wife takes him to a logical destination: Queens.

Once in the World’s Borough, Akeem ditches his royal lifestyle and rents a cheap apartment in Long Island City (how times have changed), takes a job at a “McDowell’s” fast food restaurant and hangs out at the barber shop while courting his bride-to-be.

Now, more than three decades later, Akeem is on his way back to Queens after learning he left a son behind.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said he was “beyond thrilled” to host the March 5 screening in the borough where it all began.

“Coming to America is the quintessential, iconic Queens film, and we are beyond thrilled to host one of the only screenings of its sequel, Coming 2 America, right here in the film’s backyard,” Richards said.

The event is co-presented by the Museum of the Moving Image, Rooftop Films, the nearby New York Hall of Science and Amazon.

The Queens Drive-In season will screen movies every Friday through June, with tickets priced at $35 per car, or $45 for a double feature. The drive-in is located next to the Queens Hall of Science and tickets are available at the Rooftop Films website.

Upcoming films:

March 5: Coming 2 America
March 7: The Muppets Take Manhattan
March 12: Rocky + Creed
March 13: The Shining
March 14: Singin' in the Rain + Magic Mike XXL
March 20: Escape from New York + Robocop
March 21: Babe + Babe: Pig in the City
March 26: Thelma & Louise + Desperately Seeking Susan
March 27: Fast Times at Ridgemont High + Dazed and Confused
March 28: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
April 2: David Lynch's Dune
April 3: North by Northwest + From Russia with Love
April 4: Labyrinth
April 10: Shaft + Boyz n the Hood
April 11: Your Name
April 20: The Big Lebowski